Walk-in tickets are tickets that are bought on the event day itself at SQCC. They are only valid for 1 day and will not be part of the Grand Lucky Draw to win tickets to Tokyo. Walk-in tickets will come with the following goodies:

Being held for the first time, we are anticipating many visitors to participate in this event over the two days. If you can’t get enough of Japan, attendees who have pre-ordered their tickets also stand a chance to win a pair of return tickets to Tokyo! Remember, only pre-order ticket holders will be registered into the Grand Lucky Draw. If you buy a walk-in ticket, you will not be able to participate in this lucky draw.

The first ever Culture Japan Convention (CJC) 2013 comes to Penang this year, aiming to bring fans and celebrities of the Japanese pop culture industry closer together as a community over an exciting weekend of activities and showcases.

Following the concept of Culture Japan Night (CJN), a quarterly event hosted in various countries by blogger and TV presenter Danny Choo, CJC will attempt to break barriers between fans, celebrities, and retailers. Fans can look forward to a relaxed environment where they can interact freely with cosplayers, illustrators, retailers, card gamers, and guests from Japan and around the world.

Jointly organized by Penang Global Tourism and Culture Japan, CJC will take place on the 17th and 18th of August 2013 at Straits Quay Convention Centre in Penang, Malaysia.

The Ideal Getaway

Regional and international fans of Japanese animation and popular culture are encouraged to take this great opportunity to gather, mingle and meet with comrades that they’ve gotten to know online, and enjoy various activities including cosplay contests, Japanese traditional arts, doll displays, card game tournaments, itasha showcases, doujin booths, anime merchandise and more.

Penang is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with historical buildings from the British Colonial era. It also possesses beautiful beaches, and is known around the world for it’s great food. An enchanting tropical island, Penang is a haven for photography with many breathtaking sights, making it an ideal holiday destination for visitors who decide to stay a few extra days.

International Guest Line-up

Asakawa Yuu // Voice actress and singer

Asakawa Yuu is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with the talent agency Arts Vision. Well known for being the voice behind Megurine Luka in VOCALOID2, her other notable works include voicing for Fate/stay night (Rider), Love Hina (Aoyama Motoko) and Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (Kawakami Momoyo).

vividblaze // Band

vividblaze is the Japanese duo comprising of singer Miho Tezuka and keyboardist Yasunari Okano. The group plays an eclectic mix of Jazz, Latin music, Pop and House in their songs and have worked together with Danny Choo to perform the Opening and Ending Themes for Culture Japan.

Shirahane Nao // Illustrator

Shirahane Nao (also known as DMYO) is a Tokyo-based illustrator who is known for her many artworks of Mirai Suenaga. She has drawn for many media companies in Tokyo such as Konami, Gainax and ASCII Media Works. She also manages the circle “Snow Ring”.

Maridah // Cosplayer

Maridah is an anime fan and cosplayer of more than 12 years. Her cosplay has been featured in a number of print publications worldwide, as well as on TV and online. Maridah is a show host and correspondent for EX Studio which produces programmes about anime and gaming. She is also a Brand Ambassador for Crunchyroll, the leading online anime streaming service in America. In addition to cosplay, she is an avid anime figure, Dollfie Dream, and ball jointed doll collector. This visit to Penang marks Maridah's first international event appearance.

Angie // Cosplayer

Angie is a passionate, up and coming cosplayer from Malaysia. Also known as Ringo at the popular Moe-Moe Kyun Maid Café, she has captured the hearts of a rapidly growing fanbase in the region with her high quality and wide variety of cosplays. Her love for anime and manga inspired her to start cosplaying 5 years ago, and her cosplays have been featured on various popular pages and blogs. In addition, she is also an illustrator.

Ikkyuu // Illustrator

Ikkyuu is a Japanese illustrator who specialises in cute "chibi" character artwork. He is best known for his work on the popular Moekana Japanese Learning Series, for which he has completed almost 200 illustrations. His illustrations have been used as featured artwork for collaborations with Kinokuniya, AmiAmi, Nitroplus, Yuzusoft, Anime Expo, Comic Fiesta, AirAsia, Touch N' Go, Penang Global Tourism, Sony and more. Culture Japan Con will mark his first ever international event appearance, where he will hold a panel sharing his illustration techniques, and provide tips and tricks to aspiring illustrators.

Danny Choo // Host

Born in the UK to Chinese Malaysian parents and currently based in Tokyo, Danny Choo is the producer of the Culture Japan brand which shares Japanese culture through a series of terrestrial TV shows, characters, products and events. Danny has also been recognized for his work by the Japanese government and was appointed as a member of their Creative Industries Internationalization Committee.
Danny will return to his hometown to host the inaugural Culture Japan Convention.
Read more about Danny on his profile page.

Good Smile Company is the worldwide leader in Japanese hobby products and service, including the design, manufacture and marketing of Japanese character figures. Not only will they be showcasing some of their upcoming figures and works-in-progress, their popular figures and merchandise will also be available for sale at CJC.

Figure collectors and collectors-to-be, this is your chance to grab all the figures you've always wanted without bothering about shipping fees!

The same team that brought Culture Japan Shop: Mirai Kopitiam to Comic Fiesta Kuala Lumpur last year is back to bring you more Mirai Suenaga and Culture Japan goodies, this time to Penang! New and upgraded versions of the popular Moekana T-shirts will be on sale, along with other exclusive Mirai Suenaga merchandise.

The highly anticipated sequel to the Moekana Japanese Learning Series: Moekanji, will also be available at the feature booth.

Little Akiba is well known among players of various anime-related trading card games for its card databases. It also specialises in the sales of anime merchandise. Little Akiba will be hosting trading card game tournaments at CJC!

VBG Network Sdn Bhd (VBG) is one of the leading companies specializing in marketing and distribution of local and overseas home entertainment products in Malaysia. In recent years, they have expanded their catalogue to include a wide variety of licensed anime merchandise and goods which will be available at the event.

5. Please be available for the prize-giving ceremony at the end of Day 2. Those who are unable to stay for the prize giving ceremony should inform the Organizers beforehand. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

6. By registering for this competition, all participants agreed to allow the Organizer to use their images/artworks for future promotional purposes. All image/artwork will be credited to the relevant artists, photographers and cosplayers.

Cosplay Format

1. The competition will be divided into 2 days.
The participants will be notified in advance if they’re competing on Day 1 or Day 2 on 15th August.

2. Participants will need to prepare a "Cosplay Slideshow" with music to showcase their best cosplays portfolio.
(Maximum Duration: 1 minute)
Video File Formats: WMV/MP4/MKV/MOV/AVI
(Deadline: 14 August 2013)

3. Each participant will be given a maximum of 1 minute to walk and pose on stage in character while their slideshow is playing. Followed by self-introduction & Q&A session by the judges.

4. Top 3 cosplayers with the highest overall scores from both days will be declared winners.

5. “Best-Dressed” - Participant with the highest score in "Quality of Makeup / Costume / Props" other than the Top 3 winners.

6. “Best Presentation” - Participant with the highest-scoring Slideshow Presentation other than the Top 3 winners.

5. Any type of art will be accepted (4koma, portrait artwork, a panel of a manga, black & white) as long as the theme is adhered to.

6. NO SIGNATURE or WATERMARK in the artwork.

7. Please be available for the prize-giving ceremony at the end of Day 2. Those who are unable to stay for the prize giving ceremony should inform the Organizers beforehand. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

8. By registering for this competition, all participants agreed to allow the Organizer to use their images/artworks for future promotional purposes. All image/artwork will be credited to the relevant artists, photographers and cosplayers.

How to Enter

1. The theme is to draw anything you like that features Culture Japan's mascot "Mirai Suenaga".

Cosplay Photography Competition

Rules & Regulations

1. This competition is open to all Culture Japan Convention participants of all ages.

2. Culture Japan Convention is an event for all-ages – meaning there should be:-
• No depictions of violence
• No Yaoi, Yuri, Ecchi or Hentai

3. Only 1 entry will be accepted from each photographer.

4. NO WATERMARK in the photograph.

5. Digital manipulation on the photographs are only limited to facial touch-up, exposure compensation, dodge & burn.
Absolutely no added CG are allowed.

6. Participants in this competition MUST BE an attendant of Culture Japan Convention for BOTH DAYS.

7. Please be available for the prize-giving ceremony at the end of Day 2. Those who are unable to stay for the prize giving ceremony should inform the Organizers beforehand. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

8. By registering for this competition, all participants agreed to allow the Organizer to use their images/artworks for future promotional purposes. All image/artwork will be credited to the relevant artists, photographers and cosplayers.

A Wonderful Experience Awaits

If you like what you see, hurry now and get your tickets to secure your place in the very first Culture Japan Convention! There will be 2 kinds of tickets: Pre-order Tickets and Walk-in Tickets. Pre-order your tickets to get a discount, as well as a chance to win return tickets to Tokyo!

Pre-order Tickets are 2-day tickets and come with the following goodies:

Ticket Wristbands for 2 days

Free Comrade Lanyard

Free Mirai Suenaga Uchiwa (Hand Fan)

CJC Event Guide

Automatic entry into Grand Lucky Draw for a pair of return tickets to Tokyo!

Just bring along the tickets you've purchased to the event and redeem your full set of goodies at the redemption counter!

Walk-in tickets are tickets that are bought on the event day itself at SQCC. They are only valid for 1 day and will not be part of the Grand Lucky Draw to win tickets to Tokyo. Walk-in tickets will come with the following goodies:

Being held for the first time, we are anticipating many visitors to participate in this event over the two days. If you can’t get enough of Japan, attendees who have pre-ordered their tickets also stand a chance to win a pair of return tickets to Tokyo! Remember, only pre-order ticket holders will be registered into the Grand Lucky Draw. If you buy a walk-in ticket, you will not be able to participate in this lucky draw.

Getting There

By Car
15 minutes from the city centre of George Town, 20 minutes from Batu Feringghi (Holiday Inn Resort Penang is located there), 35 minutes from the Penang Bridge, 45 minutes from the Penang International Airport.

Be a part of the event!

Booth applications are now open to artists, doujin circles and vendors alike!* We aim to create a platform for artists to get their works recognised, and have decided to heavily subsidise the costs of booth space to allow artists to focus more on their work and less on the money.

Interested participants can find more details in the application package.All booth applications will be screened and we may request for information about the items applicants wish to display or sell to ensure that they comply with the venue rules.*Rules and regulations apply, booth spaces are subject to availability.

Trusted Partners

AirAsia // Event Partner

Asia's leading airline was established with the dream of making flying possible for everyone. Since 2001, AirAsia has swiftly broken travel norms around the globe and has risen to become the world's best. With a route network that spans through to over 20 countries, AirAsia continues to pave the way for low-cost aviation through our innovative solutions, efficient processes and a passionate approach to business. Together with our associate companies, AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, Philippines' AirAsia Inc and AirAsia Japan , AirAsia is set to take low-cost flying to an all new high with our belief, "Now Everyone Can Fly".

AirAsia X // Event Partner

Focusing on the low-cost, long-haul segment - AirAsia X was established in 2007 to provide high-frequency and point-to-point networks to the long-haul business. AirAsia X's cost efficiencies are derived from maintaining a simple aircraft fleet and a route network based on low-cost airports, without complex code-sharing and other legacy overheads that weigh down traditional airlines without compromising on safety. Guests continue to enjoy low fares, through cost savings that we pass on to our guests.

AirAsia X's efficient and reliable operations are fully licensed and monitored by Malaysian and international regulators, and adhere to full international standards. AirAsia X is committed in offering X-citing low fares, X-emplary levels of safety and care, and an X-traordinary in-flight and service experience to all our guests - spreading the amazing AirAsia experience to X-citing destinations in Australia and Greater Asia.

Holiday Inn Resort Penang // Official Hotel

The official hotel for this event is Holiday Inn Resort Penang, located in the heart of Batu Ferringhi. The resort is comprised of the 7-floor Beach Wing and 23-storey Ferringhi Tower that are connected by a sky-bridge, and all 350 recently refurbished guest rooms come with stunning views - overlooking lush and tropical hills on one, and the beautiful blue ocean on the other side. Whether for leisure or business, a wedding or a corporate outing, Holiday Inn Resort Penang has it all to deliver a memorable experience that will last long after your check-out.